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Breathing Activities for Children Part Three

Designed for relaxing students before or after a test, or if they have just come in from outside and are in need of refocusing before starting their next learning activity. The breathing activities have been designed to help and improve students’ focus in all areas of the schooling day.

Bubble Blower

Get the students to imagine all of their worries. Using a bottle of bubbles, tell the students to think about anything that upsets them. Have each one of them imagine blowing that concern into the bubble as they blow into the bubble wand. Tell them to picture the worry in the bubble as it drifts away. When it pops, explain to the students that their worry has popped outside of them and can’t bother them anymore. Have the students continue blowing bubbles until they are relaxed and calm.

Active Control

Start with palms together in front of the chest. As the students inhale deeply, have them move their hands up above their heads. On the exhale, they separate their hands and create a large sweeping motion to put their hands at their sides. They immediately bring their hands back together in front of the chest and repeat the breathing. Another option is to start with hands at the sides. As the students inhale, have them raise their hands high above their heads and stand on their tiptoes. As they exhale, they slowly drop their hands to the side and squat down with a slightly bent knee.

The Controller

Students start by taking several deep, slow breaths. Ask them to place their hands on their stomach so they can feel their lungs expanding and contracting. Ask students to inhale through their noses and exhale through their mouths on a slow count of eight. For example: Inhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Once they have the breathing under control, get them to close their eyes and imagine they are a balloon filling up with air. Exhale and let all the air out. Finally, challenge the students to close their eyes and imagine they are floating on a cloud as they inhale and exhale.

Power Yawn

Students start by rotating their shoulders and shaking their shoulders and arms. This will help them loosen up tight muscles.Now they need to open their mouth, and start to breathe in.Open their mouth wider and open the back of their throat.Students will feel the breathing passages opening. Tell them to allow the yawn to arrive as they inhale, and then they complete the yawn by breathing out loudly with a sigh.Students take a few slow, deep breaths. Breathe in and out, in and out, in and out. Students need to yawn again, and as they inhale with their mouth open wide, tell them to stretch their arms out and up. They stretch their muscles as they yawn. Students allow their arms to drop back to their sides as they breathe out with a sigh, and will notice how much more relaxed and calm they now feel.